


Leather Jackets and Rainbows

by MotherBooker



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: AU, Anxiety, Charms theory, Child raising, Demisexual Draco Malfoy, Draco is obsessed with charms, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Genderfluid Teddy Lupin, Harry works in forensics, Living Together, M/M, Magical illness relating to magical core, Mental Health Issues, Pink panther - Freeform, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, based off a tumblr post, cute Teddy, draco loves kids, leather jacket
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-12
Updated: 2018-10-27
Packaged: 2019-06-20 14:40:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 17,703
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15536469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MotherBooker/pseuds/MotherBooker
Summary: When Andromeda passes away, leaving Teddy in the care of Draco Malfoy, Harry finds himself living with them, helping Draco raise 3 year old Teddy Lupin.At the same time, Harry and the rest of the Forensic department are dealing with a string of murders that are suspiciously similar to ones committed in Australia 20 years ago.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this is my very first fanfiction! It is inspired by the tumblr post about Andromeda dying and Harry and Draco raising Teddy. Hopefully I have managed to make my plot somewhat original, but we’ll see!
> 
> These first few chapters will be quite dialogue heavy, so I apologise in advance. 
> 
> [I obviously do not own Harry Potter or Pink Panther]

_Tap tap tap_

Harry groaned and pulled his duvet over his head in an attempt to block out the sound of the owl tapping impatiently on the window. 

_Tap tap tap_

Harry sighed heavily and threw the duvet off his body, casting a _Tempus_ charm as he stood. The glowing numbers read _5:39am_ and Harry groaned again. He’d barely been asleep for two hours, having just returned with Hermione and Ron from a 7 month trip to Australia. 

He rubbed his eyes, deciding that he was up now and there was no point complaining. 

He opened the window for the owl, shivering at the gust of icy cold wind that the owl brought with it. The owl swooped in gracefully, landing on his headboard. Harry made his way back to the bed and took the letter from the owl, who seemed more than a little impatient at his slow pace. 

Harry cast a _lumos_ and turned the letter over, his heart stopping at the sight of the dark green St Mungo’s logo stamped on the wax seal. Harry could see his hands shaking as he moved one to remove the seal and open the envelope. 

Harry knew that St Mungo’s would only send out owls for two reasons - if they were informing a patient of the date and time of a follow up appointment or if someone they were on the emergency contact list for was in a critical condition. Harry knew he didn’t have or need follow up appointment, so it could only be the latter option. 

Harry fumbled with the seal in his haste to open it, his panic increasing by the second as he ran through the list of people who he knew that could be in such a critical condition. 

_Was it Ron? Hermione? Molly or Arthur? Could it be Teddy?_

_Dear Merlin please let it not be Teddy._

Harry had barely spoken to Teddy since he’d left for Australia in March. He’d floo called him once or twice in April due to his birthday, but all international travel had been halted for months in Australia after a Wizarding serial killer had escaped from the Australian version of Azkaban. Even just getting home with their pre-booked Portkey took almost two days worth of rigorous tests and checks. 

Giving up his fight with the wax seal, Harry ripped into the envelope and pulled out the letter, eyes quickly scanning over the neatly printed green words. 

 

_Dear Mr Potter,_

_You are receiving this urgent letter due to your place on the emergency contact list of Andromeda Cassiopeia Tonks._

_During the early hours of this morning, Mrs Tonks’ condition worsened and she is currently in a critical condition._

_We regret to inform you that the medical staff here at St Mungo’s who are responsible for the care of Mrs Tonks do not believe that she will be able to survive the morning._

_We advise you to treat this as the emergency it is and visit the patient at your earliest convenience, using the emergency Portkey enclosed with this letter._

 

_Sending our condolences at this difficult time,_

_Harriet Smith & Elliot Robinson_

_Heads of the Magical Core Department_

 

Harry stared open mouthed at the letter, reading it twice more to make sure that it wasn’t a Portkey lag induced dream. 

He pinched himself and the sharp pain confirmed that it was, in fact, real and that he needed to get to St Mungo’s _right now_. 

He jumped up from the bed, startling the owl still perched on the headboard, who squawked indignantly. 

“Sorry! Sorry!” Harry grabbed at the bowl on his dresser, taking a small handful of owl treats and thrusting them towards the owl, who snatched up two before flying back out the still open window. 

Dropping the rest of the treats, Harry pulled off the old t-shirt he had slept in and cast several Cleaning charms in quick succession. He rummaged through his wardrobe, picking out a random shirt from the few he didn’t take to Australia. He dressed as fast as he could, not caring if anything he wore matched or not. 

He snatched the Portkey up off the bed and read the little label attached.

_To activate, say the full name of the patient_

“Andromeda Cassiopeia Tonks!” 

 

••••••••

 

Harry landed hard on the floor, his glasses skittering away from him. 

“Do you need any help sir?”

Harry glanced up from his position on the floor to see the receptionist raising an amused eyebrow at him. She sat behind a curved white desk with ‘PORTKEY ARRIVAL DESK’ printed on the front in green block capitals. 

“No! No, I’m fine. I’m ok.” He stammered, blushing as he picked himself up off the floor. He pulled his wand out of his pocket. 

“ _Accio_ glasses” 

He caught his glasses as the flew towards him and pushed them back onto his face. The receptionist’s eyes widened as she realised who had just landed in her waiting room. 

“ _Oh!_ Mr Potter sir!” She scrambled to open the files on her desk. “Would you like a drink? Something to eat?” She asked breathlessly. 

Harry rubbed a hand over his face. He really wasn’t in the mood for awestruck receptionists, he just wanted to get to Andromeda’s room as fast as possible. 

“It’s just Harry, and no thank you. Can you tell me which room Andromeda Tonks is in please? It’s urgent.” 

“Oh of course!” She giggled and not for the first time, Harry wished he wasn’t so famous.

 “Room 517, floor five, the first corridor. Do you need someone to escort you?” She began to rise from her chair.

“No! Really, it’s fine! I can get there myself!” 

Harry ran from the room before she could say anything more. 

 

••••••••

 

Harry jumped into the lift, pressing the button for floor five repeatedly, panic rising. 

 _What if I’m too late?_ He thought, urging the lift to move faster. He didn’t know how long the owl had been tapping on the window before he woke up and the receptionist had delayed him even further. 

Finally, the lift doors opened with a ding, and Harry rushed out, albeit at a more sedate pace than before, due to the amount of patients and healers milling around, despite the early hour. He reached the corridor, which had ‘Magical Core Department’ written in dark green above the entrance. 

The first two doors on either side were made from shiny mahogany wood and had golden name plates stuck onto the middle of them, just below the glass in the door. Harry didn’t pause to read the names, but assumed that they were the offices of the Heads of the department. 

_509...511...513...515..._

“517!” He sighed in relief. 

He hesitated for just a moment, hand raised to knock on the door. He took a few deep breaths and ran his hand through his hair in an attempt to calm himself. 

He knocked on the door. 

“Come in!” The voice was weak and frail, but still unmistakable as Andromeda’s. 

Harry opened the door carefully and closed it as quietly as he could behind him. He gasped softly as he looked at the figure lying on the bed before him. 

It was definitely Andromeda, but she looked so much older than she did when Harry last saw her, as if he had been away for 30 years rather than 7 months. 

Her hair was still in the tight curls that mirrored Bellatrix’s, but the once dark locks were pure white and her hair was thinner. They framed her thin face, their volume making her face look smaller and more fragile. 

Wrinkles lined her skin, covering her face and arms, which were laying on the blanket that covered her. Her skin was pale, far more pale than Harry assumed was healthy. 

Her breathing was shallow and Harry didn’t think he’d ever seen someone look so old and ill, apart from Dumbledore after drinking the potion to get the horcux. 

Andromeda smiled and pushed herself further up on the bed into a sitting position, grimacing ever so slightly. 

“Harry! Oh, I haven’t seen you in so long! How are you? How was Australia?” She patted the arm of the chair that was next to her bed.

Harry managed a smile and took a seat, taking her bony hand in his. 

“I’m great actually.” He replied, smiling softly at her. “Australia was good as well.” He took another deep breath and began talking. 

“At first, it was unbearable. It was so hot over there and so different to Britain, so it took a while to get used to the climate and the people.” He smiled ruefully. “Even in Australia people came up to me for autographs!”

Andromeda’s laughter filled the room. “I know I shouldn’t laugh, but it always tickles me how unlucky you seem to be when it comes to meeting new people. You always manage to come across the most dedicated fans when you meet people. Remember the man in Madame Malkin’s?” 

Harry flushed at the memory of the man who’d been so nervous about fitting robes on him that he’d punctured him with the pins about a million times. 

“ _Anyway!_ ” He said pointedly, “The first two months we spent searching for Hermione’s parents, which was made so much more difficult by the Australian ministry shutting down magical transportation down after that prisoner escaped. When we did eventually find them, it took weeks to convince them that we weren’t lying and that Hermione was their daughter. It was so hard for her, having them slam the door in her face....” he trailed off, fidgeting as he remembered how broken Hermione had been. 

“When we did convince them, we had to spend nearly two months carefully undoing the memory charms so we didn’t damage their mental states. It was hard work, but it was so, so worth it when we watched them when they finally recognised Hermione.” Andromeda’s hand squeezed his gently. 

“I can’t imagine going through that, Hermione is such a strong lady. I wish I could have been brave enough to seek out my parents again after I eloped with my husband and Dora was born.” She sighed and squeezed his hand again. 

“She is one of the bravest people I know.” Harry replied, offering Andromeda what was hopefully a comforting smile. 

“The last few weeks we spent telling the Granger’s what had happened in the Wizarding world. They obviously weren’t happy that Hermione had wiped their memories, but they’ve forgiven her now. We set them back up in their old house here in England, but they’re keeping their other home as a holiday home. ‘Mione’s over the moon that they’ve decided to come back.”

“She more than deserves it.” Andromeda said with a note of finality. 

“So, did anyone catch your eye while you were there?” She asked with a devious smile. 

Harry groaned. Andromeda and Molly Weasley had an unhealthy obsession with his love life, determined to help him find 'The One' after he broke it off with Ginny.  “No! There was one guy in the forensic department in the Australian ministry though. He was.... attractive but I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone more _dense_. He was woeful at his job, he compromised so much evidence - didn’t use any gloves or statis charms to preserve the evidence! I’d hoped to pick up some tips for back home, but I’ve never seen anything more disorganised.”

Andromeda sighed. “You are far too  attached to that job. You went for a holiday and to help Hermione.” Her tone was light and slightly scolding, but Harry knew she understood the attachment he had to his job, probably better than anyone else did.

The pair lapsed into silence, the only sound being the beeps of the heart monitoring charm. Harry took another deep breath, something he seemed to be doing a lot today, and opened his mouth again. 

“And how about you? How did you end up this bad?” He asked quietly. He knew he probably should have asked that straight away, but faced with a smiling and almost normal Andromeda, he hadn't the courage to immediately address the elephant in the room.

Andromeda sighed quietly. “As you can see, things got a lot worse after you went to Australia.” She raised a hand to tuck a white lock of hair behind her ear. “As you know, my... illness is related to my magical core. The healers didn’t discover what was causing it until just after you left with your friends.” She smoothed the sheets over her lap. 

“As you know, your magic is closely tied to your emotions - it’s why many people perform accidental when angry or upset, it’s why you need happy memories to produce a Patronus and why you need strong feelings of hate for the Cruciatus curse and the killing curse to work.” She waved her hand in the air, seemingly trying to gather her thoughts again. 

“My Healers believe it is my magical core’s response to the loss of my husband, daughter and son-in-law. They say it is my body speeding up the process of my death so I am able to join them in the afterlife.” She raised a trembling hand to her mouth, letting out a choked sob, her eyes glistening with unshed tears

Harry instantly stood, putting his arms around her. 

“I don’t want to go! I’d give anything to see them all again, just once, but I want to be here for Teddy, I want to be here to meet your next partner, I want to watch you all grow up!” Her still trembling hands covered her face and she leaned into Harry’s shoulder. They stayed like that for a few minutes, with Harry's arms around her shoulders and her face resting on her shoulder, until Andromeda gently pushed at his shoulder, brushing away the last of her tears and sniffing. 

“Oh look at your shirt!” She fussed with the sleeve of his shirt, which was darkened and damp from her tears. 

“Nothing a quick spell can’t fix!” He said with false cheeriness. Harry wouldn’t mention the sudden outpouring of emotion - Andromeda wasn’t a particularly emotional woman, a side effect of the many years she was groomed to be a perfect Pureblood. She still believed, deep down that showing her emotions so openly was quite distasteful. 

“You didn’t tell me how you ended up hospitalised.” Harry said softly, looking away from Andromeda to dry his shirt, allowing her a few seconds to compose herself once more. 

“To put it simply, the seizures got worse.” Her eyes were still red and her hands, clasped in her lap, were not quite steady, but she looked as well put together as ever. “When I first got them, they lasted a few minutes and weren’t very powerful, because the magic had only just started escaping my magical core and it was only trickling out of the metaphorical ‘crack’ in it. They got longer and more powerful over time, going from minutes to 18 hours in little more that 13 months. You know that obviously, since you were here. But after you left.... things only got worse. A few hours turned into a day. A day turned into three. Three days turned into six. Six days turned into ten. Ten turned into fifteen. They got more powerful and more dangerous to those around me as the magic created a steadily growing hole in my core, leaking out and destroying things that were around me when the episodes began. The last one lasted three weeks.” She looked away from Harry, sniffing. 

“The worst thing was that I could feel when one was about to begin. My magic would crackle under my skin, any spells I cast would be slightly more powerful. It was terrifying knowing I couldn’t do anything to stop it.” She sighed again, looking down at her hands. “The hole in my magical core created by the seizures is now so big that the rest of my magic is flowing out freely, which is why I will die soon.” Her voice broke as she ended the last sentence and Harry could feel his heart breaking alongside it. 

“I feel so guilty for staying away now.” Harry murmured. “If I’d have known things would have gotten so bad for you, I wouldn’t have travelled to the other side of the world. I wish I’d visited you more than I did, I wish I hadn’t become so dedicated to my job.” Harry could feel tears pricking in his eyes and rubbed furiously at them. It wasn’t his pity party for Merlin’s sake! 

A wrinkled hand cupped his cheek and raised his head. 

“You have nothing to be guilty about. _Nothing_. You went to Australia to help your best friend get her parents back, my health wasn’t something that should have been high on your list of priorities. I suffered from short, infrequent seizures, nothing that we knew to be life threatening. You couldn’t have known it would escalate to this and you shouldn’t feel guilty that you weren’t here. I don’t hold it against you, I never would, because I know you would do everything to help someone you care about if you could. It wasn’t intentional, you not being here.” She said ferociously, her tone indicating that there was no room for Harry to argue. 

“You visited us as often as you were able to. You may see it as not often enough, but I don’t. You struggled horrifically during and after the war. You deserved the months you took to recover. I know not getting into the Auror ranks was incredibly difficult for you, but you managed to turn that into something good. You trained so hard and worked so hard to improve your mental health, yet you still found the time to visit us. It wasn’t always regular, but that doesn’t matter. You were recovering in the aftermath of a war, yet you were still there for Teddy and me. And that is all that matters.” She said firmly. 

“And as for your job? You love your job, the same way I loved my job as a Quidditch commentator back in the day. I don’t hold that against you. In fact, I’m unbelievably proud of you. Most people would have caved under the intense pressure you were under to be perfect for the rest of the Wizarding world, to become an Auror like your parents, or under stress of mental health problems, but you didn’t. You recognised that you needed help and saw mind healers. You found a way to overcome the intense disappointment of failing the exams for the Aurors and found a job that you adore. You have no need to regret the dedication you have for your job. You wouldn’t be you if you weren’t dedicated.” She brushed a stray tear from Harry’s face. 

“You are an amazing role model for Teddy and others and I wouldn’t be able to find a better person for him to look up to.” She finished decisively, removing her hand from his cheek. 

“I know that me telling you that won’t magically make that guilt disappear, but I hope it helps you to rid yourself of it and ease its intensity.” She said quietly. 

Harry took a moment to compose himself. It wasn’t often that Andromeda spoke with such passion and emotion, as she was generally quite a reserved woman. It only made the little speech more powerful. 

Harry didn’t  think he could remember the last time someone had told him they were proud of him. 

“Thank you.” Harry whispered. “I think I needed that - it does help a little.” He smirked slightly. "I didn't know you were a Quidditch commentator."

She blushed. "Quidditch was a passion of mine. I was never any good at the game itself, but I had quite a talent for commentating, if I do say so myself. It was something that my parents would have despised too, so I jumped at the chance to make it a career. I'm sure you would be able to find some old recordings of some of the matches I covered in one of those Quidditch stores you love so much." She smiled faintly

She smiled at him and removed her hand from his face. 

“And Teddy? What will happen to him?” Harry asked quietly. It was the question that he’d wanted to ask since he’d entered the room, but he hadn’t felt right asking about Teddy when faced with the severity of Andromeda’s condition. 

Andromeda sighed softly and took both of Harry’s hands in hers. 

“I know you are his godfather and that he adores you, but Teddy will be living with Draco.” 

“What?” Harry exclaimed. 

“I know the two of you have a... history, but it is in Teddy’s best interests.” She said quietly. “Draco has practically lived with us since he discovered I was ill. He came to us before that, eager to make up for the mistakes his family made. He has been nothing but perfect with Teddy and me. Teddy adores him, just like he adores you. Teddy calls him ‘Papa’ actually.”

“He’s not his real father. Remus is his real father!” Harry protested. 

Andromeda raised an amused eyebrow. “Draco said something very similar the first time Teddy addressed him as 'Papa'. He protested against it for a long time, but Teddy is stubborn.” She smiled fondly. “He told Draco - in his limited three year old vocabulary mind you - that he knew Draco wasn’t his father, that he was his papa instead. He insisted they were different. He still refers to Remus as his father when he talks about his parents.”

Harry frowned. 

“Teddy has been staying with Draco during my episodes. He’s used to staying with Draco and Draco only wants the best for him. Teddy has had far too much disruption and change in his life, my death will be another change for him, so I don’t want to take him away from Draco. Doing so would be another massive and unnecessary change on top of him struggling with my death.” Andromeda squeezed his hands in what Harry assumed was meant to be a comforting manor. 

“Besides, you work all week, Draco doesn’t. Teddy is only 3, he needs someone familiar there with him. There’s Molly, of course, but it isn’t the same as having someone younger and more able to keep up. Molly loves Teddy but she knows that she and Arthur wouldn’t be able to handle chasing an overactive three year old around five days a week.”

Harry sighed. “What about visiting him?” He asked. 

“Again, Draco only wants the best for Teddy. He wouldn’t stop Teddy from seeing you because he knows how much you care for each other. I know he is willing to disregard personal feelings regarding you to make Teddy happy.” She looked sharply at him, in a manner eerily reminiscent of Professor McGonagall. “I expect you to do the same.”

“How can you be so sure?” Harry questioned. He had seen Malfoy occasionally over the years since the war, usually in Andromeda’s. They had barely been civil to each other in the short amounts of time they had been exposed to each other while within Andromeda’s house and Harry struggled to see how she could be so certain about this. 

“We discussed it. Communication is key when it comes to caring for a child. I told him that I intended to make sure he had custody of Teddy, as long as he promised to allow you to be around him often as well. He agreed quite easily, because, as I’ve repeatedly said, he wants what is best for Teddy.” Andromeda places careful emphasis on the last few words, as if she was talking to someone particularly slow. 

“And I can’t do anything about this?” Harry asked wearily. 

If he was honest, it was more the fact that it would be Draco Malfoy caring for his godson that bothered him than the issue of Teddy's custody. Harry knew he wasn’t really in a position to be the sole caretaker of a rambunctious three year old. 

He often worked long hours, his schedule changing almost constantly due to the nature of his job. He would often bring work home with him, and as a forensic analyst, who split his time between field work and the lab, many of the pictures that he would bring home would not be suitable for a three year to see. Given Teddy's naturally curious nature, it would only be a matter of time before he got hold of Harry's work files and Harry didn't want to be responsible for scarring Teddy for life.

His house was nowhere near suitable for a child to live there permanently. He still lived at Grimmauld Place and his busy work schedule meant he hadn’t had the time to fix it up. Sure, it was okay for the occasional sleepover for Teddy, but it was far too dangerous full time. There was probably all sorts of dark objects hidden in the the rooms that hadn't been cleaned out, if what he found in some of the others was anything to go by.

His mental health was also an issue. He still suffered with nightmares and loud noises or crashes would often induce a panic attack or flashbacks to the war. His mind healer had called it PTSD and while it was ever so slowly becoming less of an issue over time, having a small child with him all the time wouldn’t be very helpful to his healing process. He knew Teddy had inherited his mother’s clumsiness, so the chances of loud and potentially triggering noises would definitely increase. 

“No, you cannot.” She replied gently. “You are his godfather, but as his guardian, it is I who ultimately decides who will gain custody of him. I will make it my dying wish for Draco to receive custody of him. That way, you cannot fight him for custody, as the courts will uphold my dying wish - it is traditional for them to do so.” She said it gently, yet firmly. 

Harry nodded. “I can respect that. I may not be happy with your choice of guardian, but I’m not naive enough to believe I would be a perfect guardian for him. We both know that the responsibility of a child is something I probably wouldn’t be able to juggle with the rest of my responsibilities. Besides, if you believe it really is the best thing for Teddy, I will support your decision.” 

Andromeda nodded shakily. “Thank you. It was difficult to make the decision, but it seems Hermione has rubbed off on you - you are being very reasonable.” 

They lapsed into silence once more, hands joined on the edge of the bed, the heart monitor charm beeping slightly slower than before. 

“I believe that you should discuss things with Draco as soon as possible.”

“I will, like you said, communication is key.” He smiled at her. 

Suddenly, her arms were around his shoulders, pulling him towards him, her strength surprising for a woman on her deathbed. 

“I want you to know how much you mean to me. I’m so glad you decided to visit and spend time with us, these past few years have been wonderful, despite the losses we have suffered and the issues we’ve faced. I want you to know how proud I am of you. I know I’ve said it already, but I truly am. I don’t want you to be burdened by my passing, remember the positive things, don’t focus on the fact that I’m gone.” She sniffed, hugging him harder, almost desperately. “I won’t be gone, not really. I’ll be there, in memories, photographs and hopefully in your hearts.” 

Harry returned the hug with equal desperation, allowing his tears to fall. Harry hasn’t realised that this would be so difficult. He hadn’t realised that saying goodbye would be so painful. It was a different kind of pain, knowing that her death would be soon. Harry had always imagined that if he had been able to say goodbye to the others who died, it would have been easier, but it was in fact, the complete opposite. 

They remained like that for what seemed like forever, both of them holding on to the other, armed with the knowledge that this would be the last time that they would experience it with each other. 

They broke apart, wiping away tears. 

“I would like you to leave now Harry.” She murmured, her thumb gently caressing his cheekbone. She shushed his protests. 

“You have witnessed far too much death in your short life. I do not want to add to the list of loved one you have watched die. I would also like to say my goodbyes to my grandson and my nephew. They should be here soon.” She gently patted his cheek again and released him. 

Harry nodded numbly, vision blurred by his tears.  He leaned forward and kissed her forehead. 

“Wotcher Andromeda.” He whispered to her as he stepped away from her bed and began to move towards the door. 

She spoke again as he opened the door to leave. 

“Wotcher Harry.”

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Draco and Teddy visit Andromeda in hospital

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m ridiculously happy with the amount of hits and kudos I got with my first chapter, I wasn’t expecting much really, so thank you very much. 
> 
> Before we start this chapter, I have a few little things I need to get out of the way :)
> 
> • I write this using a writing app on my phone, as my laptop storage is shit and can’t store all my writing. I was posting the chapters using my laptop, but that is no longer possible, as it decided to give up a week ago and I'm now using an old and pretty dodgy tablet to update this story.
> 
> • A few weeks ago, when I was clearing some stuff off my phone, I accidentally deleted the four chapters I had finished, so I have had to re write this chapter, which is why it has taken so long for me to get this chapter up. The next updates should hopefully come sooner than this one has. 
> 
> • I have no beta, so any and all mistakes are mine. If you do spot a mistake, feel free to point it out (I will be eternally grateful)
> 
> • I have no idea how long this story will be. I have an aim of 4250 - 5000 words per chapter and the basic plot written out, but dividing it up into definitive chapters had been difficult so far 
> 
> Please read the notes at the end of the chapter as well, as they’ll contain notes about the actual plot/characters. 
> 
> Happy reading!

Draco sat cross legged on his bed, hands clutching a mug of coffee that had long since gone cold. He stared intently at his bedroom door, which was open just the tiniest bit, letting a slip of light into the room from the hall outside. Teddy insisted on having the light on outside their bedrooms. 

Teddy had woken him up a while ago, sniffling and in need of comfort after having a nightmare. Draco had managed to convince him to go back and sleep in his own bed, but hadn’t been able to go back asleep himself. 

He continued to watch the door, just in case Teddy got up again. He wasn’t expecting him to, the poor thing had been exhausted when he’d finally gotten him to bed. They’d spent the day in the park after visiting Andromeda in hospital and the hours of running and playing had left Teddy nearly dead on his feet.

He definitely hadn’t expected an owl to start tapping at the window. 

Draco started as the owl rapped its beak against the window insistently. He felt the blood drain from his face as he saw it carrying a letter. There was only one reason why he would be receiving owl post. His Aunt’s condition had worsened. 

He jumped up from the bed, cursing as his cold coffee spilt all over his bed. He fumbled with the clasp on the window in his haste to open it, his panic rising. He snatched the letter up the second the owl flew through the now open window, ripping it open as fast as he could and reading the letter. 

 

_Dear Mr Malfoy,_

_You are receiving this urgent letter due to your place on the emergency contact list of Andromeda Cassiopeia Tonks._

_During the early hours of this morning, Mrs Tonks’ condition worsened and she is currently in a critical condition._

_We regret to inform you that the medical staff here at St Mungo’s who are responsible for the care of Mrs Tonks do not believe that she will be able to survive the morning._

_We advise you to treat this as the emergency it is and visit the patient at your earliest convenience._

_We are informed by said patient that her grandson, Edward Remus Lupin, is currently in your custody. As he is under the minimum age required to safely travel via Portkey, we have not enclosed the standard emergency Portkey that is typically delivered with these owls._

_We request that you use the usual entrance to access the hospital and the patient._

_Sending our condolences at this difficult time,_

_Harriet Smith & Elliot Robinson_

_Heads of the Magical Core Department_

 

Draco wasn’t sure why he was so shocked at the news that his Aunt’s condition had become critical. They had known it was inevitable that her condition would eventually result in her death, but seeing it written in the neat, official print in the letter made so much more real. 

Crumpling the letter in his fist, Draco stood and made his way out of his bedroom and towards Teddy’s. He had no idea when Andromeda’s condition had worsened or how long ago the owl had been sent from London. They were currently staying in Andromeda’s home in Buxton, which she’d bought just after the war. They were miles from London and the owl could have been flying for any number of hours. 

Draco smiled softly at the sight of Teddy curled up on his bed. He was wrapped up tightly in his duvet and his body was curled around two of his stuffed animals, with another clutched in his hand. His hair was a pale blue, blending in perfectly with the sky blue, snitch patterned covers he had on his bed. 

Draco crouched down next to his bed and gently ran a hand through Teddy’s hair. Teddy made a soft noise of protest, but didn’t wake up. Draco shook him gently and he opened his eyes. 

“Papa?” He whispered sleepily. 

Draco nodded, ignoring the pang of guilt he felt at Teddy calling him ‘Papa’. He no longer protested against Teddy calling him that - Teddy had made it quite clear that he wanted to call him Papa, so he would. He had explained to Draco and his grandma that he knew Draco was different to his real parents, but it didn’t make Draco feel any better about it. He didn’t feel like he should be taking what should have been Professor Lupin’s role. 

“Come on, Teddy Bear. We need to go see Grandma.” 

“Dark.” Teddy wined, hugging his teddies closer to him. “An' cold”

“I know it is.” Draco replied softly. “But we really do need to go.”

Teddy pouted, looking thoroughly unconvinced. 

“I can carry you there.” Draco suggested, sensing he was losing him. He hoped Teddy wouldn’t refuse because Draco wanted them to leave as soon as possible. Teddy was going through a phase where he wanted to try and do everything himself and Draco wasn’t sure he would be open to being carried. If he wasn’t, Draco wasn’t sure what he would do. 

Teddy continued to pout. 

“Batty can come too.” Draco tried, gesturing to the fluffy bat clutched in Teddy’s hands. 

Batty had been a first birthday present from Teddy’s Great Grandpapa - Ted Tonks’ father - to Teddy and the pair had been inseparable since Teddy first laid his chubby little hands on him. 

Batty had a wing span of about a foot. His head and body was covered in black fur that used to be sleek and fluffy. After two years of near constant hugging and cuddling, his fur was in a less than stellar condition - despite being washed, the fur had never quite returned to the original fluffy state it was in. He had a little pointy nose, two fluffy ears and beady yellow plastic eyes. His wings were made of a soft black material, as were his little feet. 

Teddy seemed to consider his options before slowly holding his arms up, indicating he wanted to be picked up. 

Draco smiled in relief and shoved the letter into his pocket before scooping Teddy up off the bed and settling him on his hip. Teddy rested his head on Draco’s shoulder and yawned quietly before pressing his face into Draco’s neck. Batty was still clutched in Teddy’s hand, the stuffed bat pressed against Draco’s chest. 

“Dressed?” Teddy asked sleepily. 

“No, we don’t need to get dressed.” Draco replied softly. Draco himself was already dressed, having changed when Teddy had woken him up, knowing he wasn’t going to get any more sleep. 

Satisfied that Teddy was comfortable, Draco made his way out of the room and down the stairs. Draco picked up the house keys and unlocked the door, feeling Teddy’s breaths against his neck even out. He stopped and glanced at the child on his hip, smiling gently when he saw that he had already fallen back asleep. 

He locked the door behind him, tucking his keys in his pocket carefully so he didn’t jostle Teddy, and made his way to the apparation point in the alley near the end of the street. 

Holding Teddy tighter against him, Draco turned on the spot and with a crack, they were gone. 

 

••••••••

 

They landed with a soft thud in the alley way not far from the entrance of St Mungo’s. Draco turned his head to check on Teddy, relieved to see that Teddy was still asleep. It wasn’t much of a surprise really - the boy slept like the dead - but Draco had to check, Teddy despised hospitals. He didn’t want to cause a scene in the waiting room if Teddy got worked up enough to throw a tantrum. Draco knew it wasn’t Teddy’s fault though. As a Metamorphmagus, Teddy was especially sensitive to the emotions of others and in a place like a hospital, where people were grieving and suffering daily, he could become particularly upset and annoyed. 

There was a light drizzle, so Draco cast a quick _Impervius_ charm as they made their way out of the alley. 

It was dark, given that it was early morning mid-November. The street was empty save for Teddy and Draco and a man hurrying along the street, attempting to pull the hood on his rain coat over his head while walking. He didn’t seem to be having much luck and Draco thought it was likely that he would walk into one of the many lampposts lining the streets. 

The street was almost eerily silent, the silence broken only by their footsteps and the rain splashing gently against the cobbled street. 

They stopped outside a red-bricked clothing store, the name ‘Purge and Dowse, Ltd’ painted on a white background in fading green letters. A broken mannequin sat in the dusty  window, a sign with the words ‘RENOVATION IN PROGRESS’ taped on the window above it. 

Draco turned to the mannequin and spoke. 

“Draco Malfoy and Edward Lupin here to visit Andromeda Tonks.” He stated.

The mannequin’s head tilted forward in a nod and Draco stepped forward through the window. 

Draco winced at the feeling of the glass melting around them. It was a feeling similar to the one he got when a ghost passed through him - like a bucket of ice cold water had been dumped on him.

They stepped into the waiting room of St Mungo’s. The waiting room was quieter than Draco had seen it before, probably due to the early hour of the day. Most accidents would probably occur during the working day. 

Teddy made a quiet noise and Draco stilled, rocking him gently from side to side on his hip. He settled in a few seconds and Draco continued to make his way to the welcome desk. 

Behind the desk sat a plump blond witch, who was leafing her way through a dated copy of Witch Weekly. From the faint tune emitting from it, which sounded vaguely like ‘Jingle Bells’, Draco assumed it was last years Christmas Day edition. She wasn’t the usual welcome witch and Draco assumed she was the one who worked the morning shift. 

Draco stood in front of the desk, adjusting Teddy on his hip. The witch glanced up at Draco and a sneer flashed across her face before she returned to her magazine. 

Annoyed, Draco cleared his throat. 

With a put on sigh, she looked up fully from her magazine. 

“Can I help you?” She said, her sneer remaining on her face for longer this time, clearly showing Draco what she thought of him. 

“I’m here to visit my aunt, Andromeda Tonks.” He said with forced politeness, doing his best not to return the witch’s sneer. 

With a roll of her eyes she returned to her magazine. “Visiting hours are from 1pm to 5pm, so I’m afraid, sir, that you’ll have to come back later.” She turned a page and muttered under her breath. 

“Not that they’d let the likes of _you_ in.” Her words were accompanied by a third sneer and her voice was loud enough that Draco knew that she intended for him to hear her comment. 

“It’s an emergency. My aunt is in a critical condition. She is _dying_. I need to see her.” Draco pulled the crumpled letter from his pocket and placed it on the desk. “I received this letter from the department heads of the Magical Core Department.”

She pushed the letter away from her. “I do not wish for my time to be wasted by fake letters. I would like to ask you to leave.” She pointedly turned the page of her magazine, another quiet burst of music accompanying the page turn.  

“ _The letter is not fake._ ” Draco said through gritted teeth. 

Draco was used to being treated like this, like he wasn’t fit to walk the streets. All because of his father. Draco hasn’t done anything to warrant such behaviour; he had gone into hiding with Blaise Zabini and Blaise’s stepfather during the war instead of returning to Hogwarts while it was ruled by the death eaters. He wasn’t marked and, aside from failing horribly to complete the task of killing Dumbledore, hadn’t committed any actual crimes. 

Unfortunately, merely being the son of Lucius Malfoy, right hand man of Lord Voldemort, meant Draco faced the brunt of the stigma attached to his name. 

The witch rolled her eyes. “Because I’m supposed to believe a _death eater_ has come to a hospital because he cares about someone else’s welfare.” She said, removing her wand from her pocket and pointing it at the letter. 

“I can assure you that he is not and never has been a death eater.” A voice said from behind Draco. 

The voice was familiar and fierce, but Draco didn’t focus on the voice, but on the words. He nearly fainted  in shock when he realised that someone was sticking up for him - something which he couldn’t do for himself because the Ministry had such a strong hatred for his family that they’d do anything to have him locked up and punished, no matter how small the infraction was. 

Draco turned around to find out which wonderful person was sticking up for him, only to come face to face with Harry Potter. 

Potter’s face was pale and his eyes were red. There were faint tear tracks on his cheeks - it was clear to everyone that he’d been crying. 

Draco’s heart stopped when he realised this and he could only think one thing. 

_Are we too late?_

The welcome witch froze, her wand still raised over the crumpled letter. Potter stepped forward and moved the letter away from the reach of her raised wand. 

“He isn’t a death eater.” He repeated. “And it’s prejudiced people like _you_ that caused the war in the first place. You can’t discriminate against someone for who their parents are. Is that not exactly what Voldemort’s” The witch winced. “Followers did? Discriminating against muggleborns because of their parents?” His voice was low yet powerful, carrying over the noise of the room. 

The dull roar of chatter from the people sat in the old chairs in the waiting room vanished, a collective silence falling over the room. The music playing from the magazine was obnoxiously loud in the silent room and the witch closed it slowly, refusing to meet Potter’s eyes, her cheeks stained a dark red. 

Potter turned towards Draco, eyes softening at the sight of Teddy asleep in Draco’s arms. 

“Is she....?” Draco asked desperately, not daring to finish his question. 

Potter ran a hand through his hair. “She’s okay. Well, not okay, but she’s...” Draco raised an eyebrow as Potter stumbled over his words. 

“She awake.” He said. “Room 517.”

Draco nodded in relief. He wasn’t about to question why Potter was defending him. “Thank you Potter.” He said, before making his way to the lifts. 

Andromeda had been moved around several times during her stay at the hospital, so Draco had, unfortunately, had to check the room number with the welcome witch. It was a good thing he had, as she had been moved to a room three away from one she had been in when they visited yesterday. 

He stepped out of the lift, gently pushing Batty’s wing away from his face, which had somehow made its way halfway up his nose during the ride in the lift. Teddy mumbled in his sleep and his grip on Draco’s shirt tightened. 

They made their way to Andromeda’s room, but they were stopped by a tall woman with short brown hair, who Draco recognised as Healer Smith. 

She wore a slightly grim expression as she greeted them. “I’m afraid Andromeda’s vitals have just dropped quite drastically. It is most likely due to the stress of the long and likely emotional visit she had from Mr Potter a few minutes ago. My team are stabilising her now, but it is unlikely that she will survive much longer. We estimate that she has around 2 hours before she goes.” Her tone was quiet and sympathetic. “I’m sorry.”

Draco swallowed, blinking back tears, and nodded. “So, when can we go in?” His voice sounded hoarse even to him. 

“Not for a little while yet, it takes a bit of time for some of the charms to work efficiently, so you will have to wait until her condition is relatively stable and we can lift the charms on her before you can go in and see her.” 

Draco nodded again. “Shall we wait out here? Or should we head back to the waiting room?” He asked. 

Healer Smith shook her head and waved her wand, conjuring a chair next to the door. “Wait here. The healers will tell you when you can come in.” 

She nodded in goodbye to them and began to make her way down the hall, presumably to her office. She hesitated a few seconds later and turned back around. 

“Mr Malfoy?” She began. “I really am sorry about Andromeda.”

 

••••••••

 

Draco had been sat in the chair for about ten minutes when Teddy started to stir. He buried his head further into Draco’s neck, pressing Batty into Draco’s chest. 

Draco gently ran a hand up and down Teddy’s back. “You awake, Teddy Bear?” He whispered. He felt Teddy’s nod against his neck. 

“Don’ like hosp’tls.” Teddy whispered, moving from his position on Draco’s shoulder and sitting with his hands on Draco’s chest, facing him instead. “Why here?” He asked sleepily, bringing a small fist up to his face to rub his eye. 

If anyone had told Draco before the war ended that he would be sat in St Mungo’s about to explain to a three year old who called him ‘Papa’ that his grandmother was dying, Draco probably would have hexed them silly.  

“Do you remember when me and Granny told you about your parents going up to Heaven?” Draco asked. They had used the term ‘Heaven’ because Ted Tonks’ family had been Catholics, part of a muggle religion according to Andromeda. It was a much simpler way to explain death to a small child. 

Teddy nodded. “You sayed dat they had to go. But they didn’ wanna go.” He said quietly. 

Draco didn’t bother correcting Teddy’s use of ‘sayed’ rather than ‘said’. “We did. Now Granny has to go too.” He replied, just as quiet. He could feel tears pricking in his eyes - saying it out loud seemed to make everything worse. They had explained to Teddy that Andromeda would be likely to die - or ‘go’ as Teddy referred to it as - but Draco knew Teddy was unlikely to remember the conversation. 

Teddy’s face scrunched up and Draco could see the tears forming in his eyes. 

“Why?” He cried. 

Draco hugged Teddy to his body. “Because she has to Teddy Bear. She doesn’t want to go. No one wants her to go, but she has to. She is going to join your parents and your Grandad in Heaven and she’ll watch over you like they are.” He could feel Teddy’s tears soaking his shirt and Teddy’s quiet sobs broke his heart. 

He barely heard Teddy’s next words, they were so quiet. 

“Are you gonna to go too, Papa?” He whispered. He sounded heartbroken and terrified. 

“No, no, no.” He reassured him quickly. “I’m not going to leave you.”

Teddy remained silent after that, aside from the occasional sniffle, his arms thrown around Draco’s neck, hugging him. Batty was still clutched in one hand and was tickling the back of Draco’s neck. 

They had been sat like that for about ten minutes when healers began to exit Andromeda’s room. Teddy looked up from Draco’s shoulder, his face blotchy from crying. 

“Green!” He whispered quietly, pointing a little finger towards the healers’ lime green robes. 

“Ah, Mr Malfoy. Little Teddy Lupin.” One of the healers greeted them. He gasped softly, noticing Teddy’s obvious distress. “Oh, you poor thing.” With a wave of his wand, the healer summoned a packet of biscuits from a room down the hall and offered the packet to Teddy. Teddy glanced at Draco, who nodded, before taking one from the packet. 

“Tank you.” He mumbled shyly, before hiding his face in Draco’s neck again. 

Draco grimaced slightly at the feeling of stray crumbs making their way down the neck of his shirt. 

“Is she okay?” Draco asked the healer, who nodded. 

“She is for now. However, our spells will only help her for so long. You can go in and say your goodbyes now.” His cast another sympathetic look at Teddy before making his way down the corridor. 

Draco stood from his chair with Teddy still in his arms and stood in front of the door, raising a hand to knock. He was very suddenly reminded of the first time he visited Andromeda. 

 

••••••••

 

_It was late June and Draco had just apparated straight from the Ministry, where his father had just been given a life sentence in Azkaban by the Wizengamot._

_He had apparated into a small front garden under a disillusionment charm, to hide himself from muggles._

_The garden had a small paved path leading up to the door and was lined with blooming flowers of all different colours. The path was dotted with darker patches and spots near the edges, suggesting the plants had been watered quite recently._

_Draco smiled. It seemed like gardening skills ran in the Black family._

_A hanging basket was dangling to the left of the door, filled with pink, white and blue Bacopa flowers. The delicate little flowers were nestled in individual little branches of green leaves, spilling over the edge of the basket. The longest of the branches swayed gently in the slight breeze, tiny petals fluttering._

_Making sure the coast was clear, Draco dropped the disillusionment charm and walked up the path towards the door. The house had a bright and cheerful exterior and it was quite clearly a family home._

_Draco knocked on the door, noting the intricate flower pattern decorating the small windows on the door._

_He flinched slightly when the door was suddenly tugged open. Draco glanced up at the woman stood in the doorway and this first glance almost had him reaching for his wand._

_Andromeda Tonks had hair that matched Bellatrix’s perfectly. Thick, dark curls hung around her face and if Draco had not seen his dear Aunt Bellatrix die during the Battle of Hogwarts, he would have been quite certain that she was stood in front of him._

_Like Bella, Andromeda was a tall and thin woman. There was a distinct similarity between their noses and the shape of their eyes, but the rest was a mirror image of his mother._

_They shared the same thin lips, lips that could be pulling into a disapproving frown as quickly as they could curl to form a devilish smirk. They both had pale blue eyes, filled with warmth, and the same high cheekbones._

_Andromeda coughed gently and with a jolt, Draco realised he had been staring._

_“Draco Malfoy.” She stated, giving him a calculated look and resting her hip against the doorframe. “What brings you here?”_

_“My mother.” He replied, more than a little bit nervous. “She had planned to visit when the war was over, to reconcile. She had heard you were to become a grandmother and she wanted to meet her great-nephew, to be part of his life in the way she wasn’t able to be there for her niece.” He looked down at the floor and continued quietly. “Obviously, extenuating circumstances have prevented that from occurring.”_

_Andromeda nodded slowly, but her face remained void of emotion, giving nothing away. “And how did you find our home?” She asked._

_“I had intended to ask you if I could meet with you when I saw you the other day at the trial.” He replied. His father’s trial had taken place over numerous days, each to review a separate charge levied against him. Three days ago, it was the charge of his mother’s murder._

_Draco had spotted Andromeda in the viewing gallery, seated near the back behind an ancient woman wearing an oversized fur coat and eagerly scribbling on a pad of paper - she was most likely a journalist from the Daily Prophet, eager to stick her name on what was sure to be a front page news story; ‘DEATH EATER MURDERS WIFE AND LEAVES SON DESTITUTE’. The headline; of course, was an exaggeration - Draco was not destitute. He had a small sum of money from pawning off valuables he took from Malfoy Manor before the Aurors raided it, but it was nothing that would last him more than two years if he remained unemployed._

_Eager to speak to his estranged aunt, Draco had followed her all the way to the floo, only to be held up by the same fur coat adorned reporter asking him about the trial. He had, however, heard the name of the place she was going to and, with a quick search through the Floo Directories, he had found the apparation coordinates._

_“I overheard the name of your home and I checked in the Floo Directories. I found the apparation coordinates and apparated straight here from the ministry.” He continued, watching her face, hoping to see a reaction from her. He got none._

_“And why wait until today to visit?” She asked._

_“Lucius’” - he refused to verbally acknowledge that the bastard was his father - “trial ended today. I thought you would like to know that he was charged with the mass-murder of muggles, use of Unforgivables, causing grievous bodily harm and, most importantly, the murder of my mother.” He replied. There were more charges, but Draco thought it would be easier to list things he hadn’t been charged with. “He will be receiving the Kiss.”_

_She nodded again, her eyes suspiciously shiny. “You mentioned that she wanted to be there for my grandson. Does the same apply to you?” She looked straight at him, as if daring him to say no._

_“Of course it does.” He replied indignantly._

_“So it does not bother you that he isn’t pureblood? That his father is a werewolf?” She asked, her tone harsh._

_Draco shook his head, smiling ever-so-slightly. “I have learnt that someone’s blood status means nothing.” He thought briefly of Hermione Granger, brightest witch of her age and one of the bravest people he’d probably ever know. They may not have had a relationship based on anything more than hatred, but Draco admired the woman._

_“Professor Lupin was the best DADA teacher we ever had. Even if it had bothered me that he was a werewolf, I would have no problem with Teddy. Lycanthropy is not a genetic condition - it can’t be passed down.”_

_At that, Andromeda smiled and stepped aside. “I believe it is past the time where I should have invited you in.”_

_Returning her smile, Draco stepped over the threshold and into the house._

 

•••••••••

 

Draco blinked and was brought back to reality. When given stimulus, Draco was prone to flashbacks. They weren’t always of his fonder memories; they tended to be memories from the middle of the war, when he had felt like he would never be free of Voldemort’s rule. 

His flashbacks were not usually a cause for concern during the day - a second or two where he would space out, easy brought back to reality by someone poking him. 

Night was a different story. He constantly relived the worst moments of his life through his dreams, leaving him terrified to sleep. His mind healer had diagnosed him with a form of PTSD and anxiety, as well insomnia as a result. 

Teddy took a second bite out of his biscuit, sending a fresh shower of crumbs down Draco’s shirt collar. 

“Papa okay?” He asked quietly. 

“Yeah, Teddy Bear. I’m okay.” He replied, gently swiping crumbs off the corner of Teddy’s mouth. 

“Now, lets go see grandma.”

 

••••••••

 

The second they stepped into the room, Teddy wriggled in Papa’s arms, indicating he wanted to be let down. Once free of his Papa’s arms, he toddled over to grandma’s bedside. The hospital beds were quite high and Teddy was quite small, so when Teddy pressed himself against the side of the bed, his nose didn’t even reach the top of the mattress. He stood on his tippy toes and looked up at his grandma. 

At home, Teddy would normally jump straight up onto the bed to cuddle with his Grandma, but Papa had told him he couldn’t do that anymore, because grandma was sick. 

“Gran’ma?” He whispered. 

His grandma sat up more and patted the space next to her. “Hop up here, love.” Her voice sounded strange to Teddy, not at all like she usually sounded like. Still, he complied, scrambling up onto the white plastic chair next to the bed then clambering onto the bed, snuggling up against his grandma. 

She put an arm around him, giving him a weak, one-armed hug. 

“Don’ go.” He whispered quietly. 

 

••••••••

 

Draco took in the sight of his aunt lying on the bed with muted horror.

Since Draco had stayed with Teddy and Andromeda since her illness set in, he had seen the gradual worsening of her condition. Each time she had an episode, she got just a little bit worse. It wasn’t noticeable at first - a few more lines around her eyes and around the corners of her mouth. As her episodes got worse, she became so much more frail - as if she was ageing several years each time. 

The woman lying on the bed was far worse than Draco had seen her.

Her skin was the same shade as the pure white bedsheets and wrinkles lined every inch of her skin. Her cheekbones were clearly visible and her eyes were sunken. Her hands did not look like they belonged to a living being, but rather to a skeleton. 

It was like she had aged 30 years since he’d seen her just yesterday. 

Draco could see that Teddy was uncomfortable and he almost regretted bringing him. It wasn’t right for him to see his grandma like this, especially while in a hospital. Teddy seemed to be on the verge of tears and Draco knew that being in the hospital was taking its toll on him. 

But Draco also knew that it would not be right for them not to see each other one last time, when they had been the only person the other had for so long. 

Draco walked towards the bed and sat down on the chair before enveloping his aunt and cousin in his arms. 

His aunts frail hand came up to his face, her skin cold and her fingers trembling. “Take.” She began, her voice raspy and hoarse. “Take good care of him.” She managed a fragile smile before looking down at Teddy. 

She placed two shaky fingers under his chin and gently tilted his head up. “I love you so much Teddy Bear. I’m so proud of you.” She whispered to him, placing a kiss on his forehead. 

Teddy nodded and flung his tiny arms around her, hugging her firmly, yet gently. 

They sat in silence for a minute or two, the only sound being the irregular beeps from the heart monitoring charm.  Draco and Andromeda, alongside several Weasleys, had said their goodbyes already, so they had no need for any words.

With great reluctance, Draco tapped Teddy on the shoulder and opened his arms to him. “It’s time to go now Teddy Bear.” He whispered, barely holding back his tears. There was no way he could have Teddy stay for much longer, it would only cause him so much more unnecessary distress. He also had no intention of having Teddy watch his grandma die. 

Unsurprisingly, Teddy all but threw himself at Draco, hugging him tightly, tears streaming down Draco’s neck. 

From the bed, Andromeda have them both a soft yet sad smile. “I love you both.” She murmured. 

Draco leaned forward and pressed a  kiss to her heavily lined forehead. “I love you too.”

He stepped away from the bed, tears burning in his eyes as he walked to the door. 

As the door closed behind them, Draco heard the telltale sound of the heart monitoring charm flatlining

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So how was this chapter? I know it’s not very happy at this point, (and the next chapter will be the funeral, so that won’t be all rainbows and unicorns) but I promise it will get a bit happier in future chapters. Obviously, both Harry and Draco, as well as other characters that will be making an appearance in future, are dealing with mental illnesses as a side effect of the war. I am hoping to convey in some way the different effects the same illness can have on people - post traumatic stress disorder in this case. I have researched this illness quite a bit and the symptoms that Draco and Harry talk about are accurate and I hope to continue to keep any information regarding mental illness accurate. 
> 
> If you do spot something that isn’t quite right, please point it out to me as I am not a mental health expert and while I do suffer with anxiety, I don’t have PTSD and I might make a few mistakes.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry about this super late update and the time in between publishing each chapter. I will try and get the next one up much faster, but I have made this one longer to make up for it. 
> 
> Thank you for all the comments I got on the last chapter, as well as the kudos - it is all very much appreciated!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

It was raining heavily on the morning of the funeral. Draco could hear the raindrops hammering against his window, like the owl had just four days ago. The sound of the owl tapping against the window had plagued his dreams during what little sleep he had gotten over the past few days and he didn’t think the funeral was going to improve anything. 

Teddy was currently curled up on Draco’s lap, Batty squished between them. He had woken up a few hours ago and stumbled sleepily into Draco’s bedroom demanding hugs. Draco had welcomed him quite eagerly, relishing in the familiar and comforting weight of the small child against his chest. It wasn’t often that Teddy climbed into bed with him anymore and his presence was especially welcomed on nights like last night, when simply closing his eyes had him reliving horrific memories. 

As per Andromeda’s wishes, Teddy wouldn’t be attending the funeral. His aunt had opted for a traditional Wizarding funeral, which involved the viewing of certain memories from the deceased. Andromeda had left Teddy a set of memories in her will, including the ones she had set aside for the funeral, that she wanted him to view when he was older. She hadn’t wanted Teddy to be at her funeral, saying it would only cause him unnecessary distress. 

Instead, Teddy would be staying with a muggle family down the street from Andromeda’s house. They were friends of Andromeda and had a young daughter Teddy’s age, who had displayed signs of very powerful accidental magic. As muggles, they were not permitted to attend the service, but they had send their condolences through a muggle card and a small bouquet of flowers, which were sat in a vase downstairs. 

A quick _Tempus_ revealed that it had just gone 9am - two hours until the funeral was due to begin. 

Draco gently shook Teddy awake, smiling fondly as he pressed his face deeper into Draco’s chest. After a few minutes of sleepy mumbling and quiet protests, Teddy sat back and rubbed his eyes. 

“Sleepy.” He whispered, hugging Batty close to his chest and frowning. 

Draco leaned forward, pressing a kiss to Teddy’s forehead. The change was almost instant - the toddler giggled and batted Draco’s face away with one hand, the other making a show of wiping the kiss off his forehead. 

“ _Nooooo_!” He shrieked with laughter. “Wet!” 

“No kisses?” Draco gasped, pretending to be shocked.

“No!” Teddy giggled. “No kissy!” 

“Well then, I suppose I’ll just have to tickle you instead!” Draco laughed and began to tickle Teddy’s sides mercilessly. Teddy’s joyful shrieks of laughter echoed in the large bedroom and Draco couldn’t stop smiling.

Teddy had been the only thing to keep sane in the past few days. If the little toddler hadn’t been with him, Draco had no idea what he’d have done. 

He had had no one to turn to when his mother had died and only the knowledge that his father was going to be incarcerated for her murder kept him together then. 

Ever since then, it had been Andromeda who he had turned to for comfort when things overwhelmed him. Andromeda had relied on him too in the months after the war and they had become unbelievable close during the last few years. 

Now, her comforting and steady presence was gone and Draco felt more than a little lost. He was sure he would have lost his mind if he hadn’t had Teddy to look after. The knowledge that he was Teddy’s sole guardian, that this small, vulnerable human being was reliant on him, also kept him from completely falling apart. He had grieved over the past few days, but he had been careful to keep his emotions in check around Teddy, lest he cause him unnecessary upset. 

Teddy gasped and fell back onto the bed and off Draco’s lap, still giggling in between gasping for breath. 

“ _Stooooop_.” He gasped out, pushing Draco’s fingers away. Draco chuckled and ran a hand through Teddy’s turquoise hair. “Breakfast Teddy-bear?” He asked, standing up and stretching his arms above his head. 

Teddy shot up from the bed, clapping with Batty in his hands. “Can we haf Cheerios?” He asked.

Draco smiled again. 

“Of course.”

•••••

Draco  tugged slightly on his robe, which was just brushing his ankle, in a feeble attempt to make it look longer. He hadn’t worn robes since the war and only set he had was several inches too short. With a frustrated sigh, he cast a Fabric Lengthening charm. 

The charm was poorly named, given that the robes were stretched by the charm rather than lengthened, leaving the fabric uneven in places. It was a terrible charm and Draco wondered, not for the first time, why the Wizarding World was happy settle for substandard charms. Now though, was not the time to ponder the popularity of shitty spells. 

Draco hurried along the street, towards Godric Hollow’s church. Andromeda had specifically requested to be buried in the graveyard next to the church, alongside her daughter, husband and son-in-law. Other witches and wizards were making their way up the steps in the rain and Draco sped up, not wishing to be one of the last to enter. 

It was a Wizarding church and, while it looked quite similar to a muggle Catholic church on the outside, the inside was very different. Where the altar would be was instead a clear floor space, intricately spelled to change to fit the needs of the witch or wizard occupying the space, in a way not dissimilar to the room of requirement. Instead of the ‘Stations of the Cross’ - a series of images depicting the crucifixion, something that, according to his aunt, was a very important event to catholics - portraits of influential members of the Wizarding community hung around the church. Many of the witches and wizards depicted had made significant impacts on medicine, such as Wisteria Holt, the witch who had invented the Blood Replenishing potion. Other paintings were of magical folk who had committed exceptionally brave acts - meaning many wizarding churches across Britain were home to portraits of the Golden Trio. 

The beliefs held by the Wizarding community were also very different to that of the various denominations of Christianity. Most Wizarding families, like the Weasley’s or Tonks’, would be considered atheist and would use the church not as a place for prayer, but to reflect. They didn’t believe in a God, though many witches and wizards did believe that Magic was a sentient being, similar to the idea of a God, and would pray to her accordingly. The majority of the Wizarding community didn’t follow Christianity due to the Salem trials and witch hunts that were carried out by many Christians, but it generally wasn’t held against people who were Christian. 

Compared to the cold dampness of the street outside, the heat within the church was stifling. The candles perched on every surface, combined with the layers of warming charms on the building made it uncomfortably warm and Draco was suddenly reminded of the heat of the Fiendfyre in the Room of Requirement. He squeezed his eyes shut and took several deep breaths, counting to ten in his head. It wouldn’t do to have a panic attack in the middle of a crowded church. 

Draco opened his eyes again and made his way towards the front of the church to find his seat before the funeral began. He was sat by a stuffy witch who had pointedly shifted away from him when he sat down, wrinkling her nose in disdain. He ignored her, focusing instead on the wizarding officiant who was making his way to the front of the church, presumably to begin the service. 

From what Andromeda had told him, Draco gathered that wizarding funerals were quite different to muggle ones. The coffin would make its own way down the aisle, aided by magic rather than pallbearers, and would be set down in front of the officiant. The officiant would then perform a ritual on the coffin, which would protect the body and prevent it from being disturbed once buried. While the ritual was performed on the coffin, people would bring up gifts to lay on top of it. 

Usually, these gifts were small bouquets of flowers, a tradition that stemmed from the Salem trials, when the Wizarding population lived almost entirely in poverty, as flowers were inexpensive and could easily be conjured. Nowadays, people would leave other gifts, such as small candles, but flowers were still the most common gift. 

Draco himself was cradling a small bunch of narcissus flowers in his lap, tied together with what had been one of his mother’s favourite hair ribbons. She hadn’t worn her ribbons very often in the last few years of her life, as she had worn them mostly for celebrations. 

There had been precious little to celebrate once Voldemort returned. 

Once this ritual was complete, people would be invited to come up to the front of the church to speak about the deceased, a part of the service that Draco was dreading, as he knew that sitting listening to Andromeda’s friends talk about her life was going to make him cry like a baby in front of everyone. But, he thought, not crying at a funeral would probably make him stand out more. 

The coffin would then be levitated back out of the church and the guests would follow it to where it was to be buried. Once it was buried, people were given time to pay their respects to the person before everyone reconvened in the church. 

A select number of people, a list decided by the deceased before their death, would be taken into a room to the side of the church, which would be known as the sacristy in a Catholic church. Inside this room was a special type of pensive, designed for projecting memories to a larger audience than a typical pensive. 

It was the this part of the service that Draco was dreading the most. 

It was traditional for witches and wizards to keep a box with important memories in throughout their lives, so that they would be eventually viewed by friends and family at funerals. Draco had never been quite sure as to why this was such a common part of wizarding funerals, since it did little more than reduce everyone in the room to tears, but according to his aunt, it brought people closer to the deceased and helped them understand the person more. 

Draco had spent the last few months with Andromeda helping her organise her memories. The ones she had collected over the years were kept in an ornate, black box,  with silver roses etched into the lid. It contained rows and rows of memories, all neatly labelled with years and the people they contained. Almost all of the memories were of Nymphadora, from first steps and first words, to her wedding and her pregnancy announcement, but most of the recent ones were memories of Teddy and, surprisingly, himself. 

Draco had been shocked when Andromeda told him that some of the memories she was preparing for the funeral contained him. She had, of course, refused to let him see the memories - _“you can wait like everyone else!”_ \- so he was in equal parts anticipating and dreading watching the later memories. 

He also knew that Andromeda had set aside individual boxes with memories inside, which were to be handed out during the will reading. 

Draco had never hated memories more in his life. 

••••

Draco watched with a detached sense of fear as Andromeda’s coffin was lowered into the ground. He could vaguely hear the sounds of sniffing coming from the direction of where the Weasley family was gathered. Only now did the reality of his aunt’s death seem to really hit home. 

There would be no more days out together with Teddy. 

There would be no more late night chats. 

There would be no more petty squabbles over Draco’s lack of a love life. 

There would be no one to confide in when things just got too much. 

There would be no one to comfort him after a particularly bad nightmare. 

And then there was Teddy. Dear Merlin, Teddy. 

Teddy was his sole responsibility now. 

He had no idea why that made him so panicked - he had cared for Teddy almost 24/7 for months and he had been there to watch him grow up. Teddy called him ‘Papa’ for Circe’s sake! 

Maybe it was because this made it more official. He was, in the eyes of both Teddy and the Ministry, now a parent, rather than just a very close friend or relative. 

Or maybe it was because Draco doubted his parenting abilities. It was a bit late to be doing so, considering that he’d helped to raise Teddy alongside Andromeda and an odd collection of Weasleys, but he felt himself wondering if he would turn out like his own father. 

Lucius’ ideas of punishment were a touch more extreme than average. Stinging Jinxes were a favourite of his, used for everything from an incorrectly knotted tie to failing to come out on top in an exam. Everything Draco did had faults, no matter how small, Lucius would pick his every move apart and throw his supposed failures back in his face. 

He didn’t want to be that to Teddy. He wanted to encourage Teddy to learn from mistakes, to not be discouraged by little failures. He didn’t want Teddy to grow up fearing him. 

Draco jumped when a hand was placed on his shoulder. He spun to find himself face to face with Ginny Weasley. 

Her eyes were red rimmed from crying and her mascara had smudged around her eyes. “You ok?” She asked, staring intently at him. 

Draco gave his friend a half smile. “No.” He replied honestly. “Not really.”

She gave him a small, sad smile in return. “I don’t think any of us are. Not really.” Ginny squeezed his shoulder comfortingly. “I’ll come over and see the two of you next week, I’ve missed the blue-haired menace.” 

“He’s not a _menace_.” Draco protested. “But I’m sure he’ll appreciate a visit from his ‘Auntie Ginny-bread.” 

Ginny scowled at that, shoving his shoulder. “You know I hate that nickname.” 

It was a name born from an incident with a gingerbread house and two Weasleys last Christmas, and, as much as she protested against it, Draco had seen the way her eyes softened when Teddy shouted it while running towards her for a hug. 

He also found it rather adorable. 

Ginny nodded in goodbye as she was called over by her mother and Draco was left once again to his own thoughts. 

By now, the graveyard had emptied out, people already making their way back to the church or heading home. Draco turned to the headstone, its newness sticking out like a sore thumb against the older graves in the cemetery. Even his cousin’s grave seemed to have aged a great deal in the three and a half years since it had been erected. 

He crouched down beside the grave, placing another bouquet of flowers among the pile of other gifts. He leant forward and pressed a kiss to the top of the grave. “Goodbye Andromeda” He whispered, before standing and making his way out of the graveyard, wiping away the tears threatening to fall down his face. 

“Malfoy!” A voice shouted behind him. 

Draco sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he turned to face Potter, who was jogging to catch up with him. Draco flushed as he realised that Potter had watched him say goodbye in the graveyard. 

“I wanted to talk to you about Teddy.” Potter panted as he caught up. “Y’know, because you have custody of him now.”

“Is now _really_ the best time?” He replied, a tad more sharply than he intended to, if the frown that crossed Potter’s face was any indication. 

“We don’t have to talk now, but can we at least arrange a date to meet? I haven’t seen Teddy since April. Is tomorrow lunchtime okay?” Potter asked, hands shoved in the pockets of his suit jacket. 

“Tuesday. Teddy’s little friend is coming over to play tomorrow, so it will have to be the day after.” Draco replied much less sharply this time. He could understand him wanting to see Teddy after being away for so long - Draco missed Teddy after being away for a weekend, he couldn’t imagine not seeing him for seven months. 

Potter nodded. “Okay.”

“Meet us at ‘Sugar & Dice’ at 12.” Draco said, handing Potter a slip of paper with the coordinates for the nearest apparation point to the café. 

Potter nodded again, accepting the slip. “Isn’t this a Muggle area?” He questioned, shock written all over his face. 

“Come along Potter, they’re going to start without us.”

••••

The officiant had set the pensive up in the centre of the room and had ordered them to stand around it in a circle. 

Draco was, quite thankfully, sandwiched in between Luna and Ginny. Potter and the other two thirds of his trio were stood somewhere to his left, with the rest of the Weasley family. 

The officiant tapped his wand against the memory box and the vials floated out, lining themselves up in order in the air around the pensieve. The cork off one vial popped off and floated above it as the vial tilted forward, the silvery memory sliding out and landing with a small splash in the pensieve. 

The officiant tapped the side of the pensieve then left the room. He had previously informed them that he wasn’t authorised to view the memories, so he had spelled the vials and pensieve to automatically play the memories - like a muggle PowerPoint according to Granger’s whispering to Potter

The first memory began to play, colours swirling before settling into the scene, projected above the pensieve so everyone could see it. 

_A much, much younger Andromeda stood by her mother’s bedside, clutching the hand of her younger sister, Bellatrix, barely recognisable to Draco._

_The pair could have easily been mistaken as twins, with their long, dark and wavy hair, identical button noses and straight-backed poses - a stance reminiscent of Draco’s own upbringing._

_Only their eyes set them apart. Bellatrix’s were dark and brown and, even at the age of no more than 4, her eyes seemed colder than one would expect. Andromeda’s were a light blue and bright with elation, obviously much more excited about the baby than her sister._

_The way the sisters’ fingers were intertwined declared their closeness in a way words would have never been able to. Judging by their outward reactions to their new sister, Draco believed it was at this point that their closeness began to lessen._

_Their mother - Druella - was sat up in bed, dark circles visible under her eyes, a small, squirming bundle held in her arms. Said bundle let out a loud wail, tiny, chubby fists appearing out of the white shawl._

_“Girls,” Druella began, adjusting the baby in her arms slightly and rocking them gently to sooth them. “Meet your little sister - Narcissa Ophelia Black.”_

 

The scene faded and the colours swirled around once more, colours mixed and intertwining with each other, before settling into the second memory. 

 

_An eleven year old Andromeda sat alone in a compartment on the Hogwarts Express. The decor inside was flowery and outdated, even for the sixties, and Andromeda’s disdain for it was clearly visible in the way she regarded it with a slight sneer._

_Through the window, parents could be seen hugging their children goodbye, shoving small packages and pets into their hands as they climbed on board. One particular boy stood out to her._

_He was stood with his parents, giving every one a berth and glancing around the platform anxiously. His parents were similar - the pair stood, hands clasped together, watching the excitable crowd of magical folk with clear apprehension. She squinted at their clothing and realised with a gasp that they were muggles._

_As if he had heard the barely audible gasp while stood on the platform, the boy looked up, instantly locking eyes with her._

_She offered him a quick smile, at which he lit up and turned to his parents, gesturing towards her compartment vaguely as he held a rapid conversation with them. Reluctance was written all over their faces, but they hugged him tightly too them and sent him off towards the train with his luggage._

_Andromeda sat back slightly shakily and Draco could see a flicker of regret cross her face. It was obvious why - she came from a Pureblood and very prejudiced family, yet she had just seemingly made a friend in a muggleborn student._

_Barely seconds after Andromeda had sat back, the boy burst in, lugging his case along with him._

_“Hi!” He said brightly, with a heavy Spanish accent. “I am Ted Tonks. ¿Y tu?”_

_Andromeda smiled in return. “Andromeda Black.” She replied._  

 

The colours swirled again and a new memory began. 

 

_An older Andromeda walked along a Hogwarts corridor, a set of NEWT Level Transfiguration textbooks in her arms. A shiny Head Girl badge was pinned to her robes._

_Raised voices could be heard from around the corner of the corridor and, upon hearing them, Andromeda deposited her books onto the nearest window sill and dashed towards the voices, drawing her wand as she did so._

_She skidded to a stop as she rounded the corner, freezing at the sight in front of her._

_Ted Tonks was stood with his back against the wall, wand raised and expression fierce. A group of Slytherins stood a short distance away from him, each with various injures. One was clutching his side, small black wings protruding from rips in his robes, clear signs of a powerful Bat-Bogey-Hex. Another had a singed patch on his robes._

_“Ted!” Andromeda cried out, standing in between him and her housemates._

_“Oh how_ sweet _.” One of the girls sneered. “It’s the muggle loving traitor, here to defend her disgusting little mudblood boyfriend.”_

_“Don’t call him that!” Andromeda replied sharply, throwing up a shield charm when two of the Slytherins sent spells towards them. “50 points from Slytherin for attacking a fellow student.”_

_Scowls formed on their faces. It was clear that the house cup was more important to them than punishing someone they deemed unworthy._

_“Whatever, Black.” One of the boys snarled. “I’m sure that your parents will be thrilled to discover that you’ve taken up with a mudblood.”_

_The group disbanded, setting off towards the staircase without so much as a backwards glance at the pair._

_They stood in silence for a few seconds, chests heaving. Then Andromeda threw her arms around Ted’s neck, squeezing him tight. His arms came around her waist and they stood like that in the darkening corridor for several minutes before separating._

_“You really ought to stop reacting so violently to them.” Andromeda said, taking hold of his hand and using the other to wipe a splatter of blood off his cheek. “We only have two months left, not even that, then we can leave here. Together. We can’t do that if you insist on attacking them every time someone makes a comment about blood - it’s going to get you killed or expelled. I know you don’t like sitting back, but you can’t fight everyone, not with violence, especially when it’s a pack of people like them.”_

_Ted opened his mouth as if to say something, but closed his mouth and pressed a kiss to Andromeda’s forehead instead. “I know.” He stated with a whisper. “I love you.”_

 

The colours of the memory swirled again, faster this time.

 

_Andromeda sat cross legged on her bed in the Slytherin dorms, eyes fixed upon a letter on her lap. She looked exactly the same as she did in the previous memory and Draco assumed this was taking place shortly after._

_The Black family crest was stamped onto the blood-red wax seal. Andromeda gulped audibly, and with a shaking hand, she reached to open it. A thin silver band on her left hand glinted in the light streaming through the bedroom window._

_An engagement ring._

_She pulled the letter from the envelope, the scratch of parchment on parchment deafening in the silent room. The parchment trembled in her hands as she unfolded it. Six words were written on it in red ink matching the colour of the wax seal._

_‘You are no longer my daughter.’_

_There was no signature but it was obvious that one wasn’t needed, as Andromeda broke down into sobs, her tears splashing on the parchment, causing the ink to run._

 

 

_A slightly older Ted and Andromeda stood at an altar, holding hands and gazing into each other’s eyes. Ted’s family and friends were sat in the pews, his parents sat right at the front, alongside Andromeda’s two best friends._

_Ted’s parents, a much younger version of them than Draco was familiar with, had tears in their eyes, both obviously overjoyed that their only child was getting married._

_The couple recited their vows and exchanged their rings, beaming at each other. Draco never met Ted, but he could tell just by the way the pair looked at each other that they were made for each other. He understands now, better than he did before, exactly how Ted’s death led to Andromeda’s._

 

The memories shortened and seemed to bleed into each other. 

 

_Andromeda and Ted stood over a small cradle containing an even smaller bundle of green blankets. The bundle let out a small cry of discontent and Ted scooped them up, revealing a head of bright red hair._

_Ted rocked the baby gently, murmuring as he did so. “Shhhhh, Nymphy. Daddy’s here.” The baby’s whimpers ceased and her hair paled, turning to a bright yellow colour._

_Andromeda watched the pair, a soft smile on her face._

 

 

_Nymphadora sat next to a shimmering Christmas tree, wearing onesie with ‘Santa’s Little Helper’ on the front. She seemed far more interested in the glittery gold bauble dangling from one of the lower branches than the presents, much to the amusement of her parents, who were sat a few feet behind her._

_Andromeda leaned over and pushed a squishy and slightly misshapen package towards the baby, successfully diverting her attention._

_The package was loosely wrapped, so it only took a few tugs before a stuffed rabbit fell into Nymphadora’s lap. With a squeal and incomprehensible babbling, she scooped up the toy and cuddled it to her chest. An ear found it’s way into her mouth and she giggled again, drawing smiles from her parents._

 

 

_Andromeda and Ted were kneeling on the floor on opposite ends of a room, presumably their living room. Baby Tonks sat in between them, wearing nothing more than a nappy and a t-shirt with a huge Hufflepuff badge on it._

_Ted pulled a face at her, causing her to giggle and shriek in laughter. He made beckoning motions with his hands, his face splitting into a smile as his daughter shifted and pushed herself up with her hands to stand up on wobbly legs. The floor beneath her shimmed briefly as Andromeda cast a Cushioning Charm, distracting the baby momentarily._

_She looked up again and put her arms out to Ted. “Da!”_

_Ted smiled made beckoning motions again, laughing in delight as she took a few wobbly steps towards him before falling down and landing on her bum._

_Andromeda rushed forwards, scooping her daughter up in her arms and spinning around with her, both laughing while Ted watched on, smile still fixed on his face._

 

 

_The memory was clouded for a second by smoke, before it cleared to reveal Ted and Andromeda stood on platform 9 3/4 with Nymphadora. Her hair was changing every few seconds, gaining her quite a lot of attention from the people in the crowd around her._

_Nymphadora hugged her parents tightly and picked up her case, eyes gleaming with excitement. She had an old a slightly faded Hufflepuff scarf wound several times around her neck - Ted’s old scarf. Her mother adjusted the scarf with a wry smile. “I still think you’re getting a little ahead of yourself.” She says._

_Nymphadora only smiled at Andromeda. “I will be in Hufflepuff. I’ll beg the hat if I have to.” Draco recognised Andromeda’s own stubbornness in her daughter._

_Ted laughed loudly, attracting a glare from a stiff family next to them. “Whatever you say Dora.” He ruffled her pink hair. “But you need to get going, the train’s going to leave without you.”_

_Her parents hugged her once more before she climbed aboard._

_The pair stood on the empty platform long after the train had disappeared along with their only child._

 

 

_An older Nymphadora was sat on grass in what appeared to be a muggle park, judging by the clothing of the people in the distance, fiddling with a muggle stereo. She jumped up, pulling her dad up with her as the crackling of static stopped and a song began to play._

_Draco recognised it as a Beatles song that Andromeda had played often during the times he spend at her home - ‘Twist and Shout’._

_Nymphadora did just that, twisting in a slightly clumsy dance and singing along to the song. She laughed as her dad copied her and pulled her mum up with them._

_With a roll of her eyes and very little reluctance, Andromeda stood up and joined them._

 

 

_“I did it!” Nymphadora cried, waving a letter in front of her parents faces. “I passed them all, even Transfiguration!” She held the letter still, showing a set of OWL results, made up mostly of Es and the occasional O or A._

_It had always made Draco smile when Andromeda talked about her Metamorphmagus daughter being terrible at Transfiguration._

_She let out another cheer and flung her arms around her parents necks._

_“Does this mean I can get the cat I wanted?”_

 

 

_The new memory was a very similar scene, but with an older trio._

_Nymphadora sat at a table with her parents, a Hogwarts letter and a Ministry of Magic letter in her hands. She opened the Hogwarts letter first, letting out a shriek of joy when she unfolded it. “I’ve done it! Outstanding’s and Exceeds Expectations on all the subjects I need!”_

_She pushed the letter towards her parents and tore into the other, letting out another cry of joy. “They’ve accepted me into the training!”_

_Draco knew that both of her parents had had reservations about her becoming an Auror, but both adults appeared to be equally happy about her results, pride clear on their faces._

_Nymphadora picked up a ginger cat that had been hidden under the table. “And you, Tubbs, are coming with me!”_

 

 

_Ted and Andromeda were sat in one of the fancier function rooms within the ministry. They were sat with rows of other witches and wizards, facing a stage._

_Upon the stage was a podium and a line of witches and wizards wearing Auror robes, including Nymphadora, her bubblegum pink like a beacon against the beige wall behind them._

_The minister - Draco couldn’t recall his name - began reading off a scroll on the podium in front of him, handing medal and certificates out to the newest Auror recruits, each name accompanied by cheers and applause._

_“Tonks, Nymphadora!”_

_She jumped slightly, her hair brightening to a neon pink as she walked forward to accept her certificate and medal, signifying her successful introduction into the Auror ranks._

_Her parents, alongside several Weasley’s, stood and applauded for her, cheering as she accepted her things from the the minister._

_Nymphadora waved at her parents, blushing as she tripped on her way back to the line_

 

 

_“We’re engaged.”_

_The small dining room was silent. Nymphadora stood in front of her parents, clutching Remus Lupin’s hand. His old professor looked painfully awkward, but held his head high as he waited for his future in-laws reply._

_Andromeda looked quite taken aback, but it was unsurprising, given that Draco knew for a fact that she had never met Remus prior to this._

_Ted was the first to react, stepping forwards and envelop ing the pair in a hug. Draco had come to understand that Ted Tonks hugs could fix any situation._

_“Welcome to the family.” Andromeda smiled, pressing a kiss to Remus’ cheek._

_They appeared to sag in relief, obviously expecting disappointment and disapproval. The younger pair share a loving glance that reminds Draco of the younger Andromeda and Ted at Hogwarts._

_Andromeda’s smile grew and she muttered a summoning charm, resulting in a few distant bumps from somewhere in the house._

_“We have a wedding to plan.”_

 

 

_Nymphadora and Remus kissed at the altar, amid cheers from family and friends and conjured confetti._

_It’s the same church that Nymphadora’s parents were married in, with a few slight changes to the decoration. Unlike Andromeda and Ted’s wedding, the church had only around 20 people inside, war time limiting the number of guests that could be present._

_The newly-weds shared a long, loving look, a look that Draco would be tempted to call sappy if he did not know their history, and it is clear to everyone that the lack of guests wasn’t an issue for them, that being together was all that mattered at the moment._

 

 

_“I’m pregnant.” Nymphadora’s voice is shaky as she squeezes her mother’s hand._

_Remus wasn't present. Draco knows why, having heard his aunt tell the story of Remus running for the hills at this news, only to have sense knocked into him by 17 year old Harry Potter, many a time._

_Her parents are silently supportive through their hugs, murmuring soft, most likely meaningless, words that they can’t hear from the memory._

 

 

_Andromeda sat on an old sofa, it’s design something that most likely had been the height of pureblood fashion during the 1960s, face pale and blotchy from crying._

_Fresh tears fell down her face as she leaned against Molly Weasley, her body shaking with quiet sobs. Molly too had tears in her eyes._

_“He’s gone.” Andromeda choked out, staring unblinkingly at the crumpled picture of her husband in her hand. She let go of it, allowing it to fall to the floor, joining a tear stain letter on the carpet._

_A heart-wrenching sob tore from her throat and she turned in Molly’s embrace, weeping unashamedly into her shoulder._

_Her other hand opened, Ted’s blood stained wedding ring landing with a dull thud on the carpet._

 

 

_Andromeda sat in a rocking chair, staring down at the child in her arms with wonder. He was sleeping, tiny fist clenched around the blanket he was wrapped in and hair fading from one colour to the next._

_“Have you named him yet?” She asked quietly, stroking a finger down the side of his peaceful face._

_“Edward Remus Lupin.” Her daughter replied. Nymphadora was sat on the bed, curled into Remus’ side._

_“Teddy for short.” Remus added quietly._

_Andromeda nodded slowly, eyes teary. “It suits him. He has Ted’s nose.”_

 

 

_A silvery lynx patronus burst through the open window. It opened its mouth and spoke in the deep voice of Kingsley Shacklebolt._

_“Voldemort is dead. We need you at Hogwarts immediately.”_

_Andromeda sat in the same rocking chair, arms empty and tears streaming down her face. Teddy was lying in his crib, fast asleep and oblivious to his grandma’s distress._

 

 

_Andromeda knelt down in front of her daughter’s grave, silent tears streaming down her face. She placed a large bunch of flowers on the freshly dug dirt and pressed a kiss to the grave, doing the same to her son-in-law’s._

 

 

_Andromeda stood in the doorway of the living room, watching as her nephew cradled her grandson in his arms._

_Draco remembered this day well, given that it was the first time he had held Teddy._

_Teddy let out a quiet cry, shifting unhappily. Andromeda made to step forward and take Teddy from him, but stopped when memory-Draco stood, rocking the baby gently as he paced slowly in front of the fireplace, murmuring to the calming baby._

 

 

_Andromeda sat up in bed, jumping out quickly at the sound of distressed wails from the next room. She made her way out of her room, obviously surprised to hear the cries beginning to lessen._

_She peeked her head around the open door to see Draco holding Teddy to his chest with one arm, his other preparing a bottle using his wand._

_Teddy’s wailing quietened to smaller cries as Draco murmured soothing words towards the hungry baby. He tested the bottle on his free wrist before cancelling the Levitation charm and guiding the bottle towards Teddy’s eager mouth._

_Seemingly satisfied that her grandson was in good hands, Andromeda returned to her bed._

 

 

_Andromeda opened her front door to a guilty looking Harry Potter. He began stuttering out apologies for not coming sooner, or so it seemed, as his words were almost incomprehensible as he fell over himself to explain._

_Andromeda smiled and told him not to worry, allowing him to step through the door and into her house._

_She guided him to the living room, where Teddy was sat up on the carpet, surrounded by a mountain of cushions and multiple stuffed toys._

_Shock was written all over Potter’s face as he walked in. Draco was stuffing things into a bag and pulling a jacket on, while pulling faces at Teddy. Teddy was giggling and waving his arms towards Draco. Draco smiled and pressed a kiss to Teddy’s forehead._

_“I’ll see you later, Teddy Bear.” He said, laughing when Teddy grabbed at his nose._

_The smile fell from his face when he spotted Potter in the doorway. With a nod to Potter and a kiss on the cheek for Andromeda, he apparated out of the living room._

_With a nudge from Andromeda, Potter stepped into the room and crouched down by Teddy, awkwardness radiating off him. Teddy stared up at him with wide brown eyes._

_“Hey little guy.” He whispered. Teddy continued to stare back at him. Potter reached for the white bunny by his foot, giving it a little shake when he realised it had a bell in it._

_Teddy giggled and in a split second, his hair had changed to match Potter’s. Potter sagged in relief and sat down to play with Teddy, Andromeda watching on in the doorway._

 

 

_Andromeda landed in her hallway, dusting off the soot from her Floo journey. The house was quiet - too quiet if Andromeda’s frown was anything to go by. She walked up the stairs, peeking into the rooms she passed until she reached the end room, voices drifting through the slightly open door._

_On the door hung a small sign, with ‘Teddy’s room’  painted on in purple. She opened the door slowly and poked her head around the door, a fond smile slipping onto her face._

_Potter sat on the floor, Teddy standing up in his cot, chubby fingers clutching the bars. Potter had a story book - ‘Scaredy Mouse’ - open on his lap, angled towards Teddy so he could see the pictures, and was reading from it._

_“‘It’s the cat! It’s the cat!’He cried.” Potter read out loud, putting on a voice to imitate the mouse in the story._

_Teddy laughed and pointed at the book in glee._

_“‘At! ‘At!” He giggled._

 

 

_Andromeda made her way from the kitchen to the living room, three drinks and a plate of biscuits floating in front of her._

_“Teddy?” She called. “Biscuit time!”_

_A look of bewilderment crossed her face when she got no reply - Teddy_ always _came rushing for ‘biscuit time’._

_The bewildered look was replaced by a soft smile as she stepped into the living room to find Draco and Teddy fast asleep on the couch._

_Draco was on his back, head tilted back slightly on the armrest, one arm behind his head, the other around Teddy. Teddy had his back against the sofa and was curled up on Draco’s chest, Batty held tightly in his fist._

_With a quiet ‘aww’, Andromeda placed the plate and drinks on the table and summoned her camera._

 

 

_Teddy sat on his bed in blue snitch pyjamas, looking downcast as he stared at the clothes Andromeda had just placed on his bed for him to wear._

_Draco stepped into the room, Batty in his hand. “I found Batty, Teddy Bear!”_

_Teddy reached his arms up to Draco. “Up please.” He whispered._

_Draco scooped him up into his arms, handing over the bat and allowing Teddy to snuggle into his arms._

_“What’s wrong, Teddy Bear?” He asked, frowning when Teddy only shook his head and buried his head deeper into Draco’s neck._

_“Teddy?” Andromeda turned away from the toys she had been putting back into their boxes, watching her grandson in concern._

_Teddy mumbled something into Draco’s neck._

_“We can’t hear you, Teddy Bear.” Draco murmured._

_“Clothes are boy clothes.” Teddy said, fists clenched in Draco’s shirt._

_“Do you want girls clothes, Teddy?” Andromeda asked._

_Teddy nodded._

_“Ok then, Teddy, Papa can transfigure them for you.” She said with a smile. Andromeda, much like her daughter, was woeful at transfiguration._

_Teddy’s eyes lit up as Draco waved his wand, turning the clothes into a soft purple dress with little bunnies around the bottom. “Purple!” Teddy cried, wriggling in Draco’s arms to get down. “Tank you Papa!”_

 

 

The last memory faded, leaving the small group in silence. Several people were staring openly at him, mostly in shock, and he could feel his cheeks heating up. 

The officiant burst back into the room, making more than one person jump, waving his wand to return the memories to their jars. With another flick of his wand, chairs appeared behind them. 

“Now, if you would all sit for the reading of the will...”

•••

Harry held back a wave of nausea as he landed at the apparation point. He really hated apparation. 

It was more than worth the few moments of discomfort though, as he was just minutes away from seeing Teddy again, for the first time since April. 

He had landed in some sort of side street, which smelt faintly of piss. He was in Liverpool, that much he knew, as Dean and Seamus had mentioned the café before, but he had no idea which way to go to get there. 

Harry began walking and hoped for the best. 

After several minutes of walking, he came across a man walking a baby in a pram. He had obviously noticed Harry’s aimless and slightly shifty wandering, as he called out. 

“You lost mate?”

“Er.. Yeah, actually. Do you know where Sugar & Dice is?” 

_Please, please say yes_ Harry begged silently. 

“Ye’ miles off mate!” He pointed to the street Harry had just walked up. “Go right back down there until you reach that skip - bloody thing’s been there for years, it ‘as - take a left and then a right at the flats and it’s there.” 

Harry nodded and thanked the man before turning back around and following his instructions. He found himself just around the corner from where he had apparated and cursed himself. Had he taken a right initially, he would have already been there. 

He checked his watch, huffing when he realised he was ten minutes late and pushed open the door to the café. 

He glanced around the café, which was fairly busy, considering it was in such an odd place, in search of a blond head. 

One wall consisted entirely of shelves, which were stocked with various board games. A group of teens were huddled around the table closest to it, bidding rather loudly for a monopoly street. 

A pair of old men sat by the window, arguing over a game of scrabble, while two woman on the table next to them stared intensely at each other over a game of chess. 

There was a cry of “Uncle Hawwy!”, earning a curse of the group of teenagers, when one of them knocked into the board in shock, and Harry looked up. 

Teddy jumped up from his seat, where he was sat across from Malfoy, a board in between them. His elbow collided with his full cup of juice, sending the liquid flying across the table. Malfoy lunged forwards, lifting the board off the table and saving the tiny die from the flood of juice. 

Harry caught Teddy in his arms as he jumped at him, hugging him tightly. Teddy had began talking the second he was in earshot of Harry, but he barely caught a word of what his godson was saying, too busy staring at Malfoy‘s back. 

Stitched onto the back of Malfoy’s leather jacket was a winking Pink Panther. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few little things:
> 
> • A sacristy - found in Roman Catholic churches. They are essentially religious cloakrooms - it’s where a priest will change and items used in mass will often be stored. 
> 
> • I never really intended to start creating Wizarding rituals/traditions this early on in my writing, but this just kinda happened
> 
> • Sugar & Dice is a genuine café in Liverpool, which does have board games that customers play with. It is sort of out of the way, in the sense that it’s not on one of the high streets. I am almost certain that it wasn’t around during the year this is set (2001), but I’m taking creative liberties. 
> 
> • Scaredy Mouse is a real book and was a favourite of mine when I was little. It was published in 2002, so again, it isn't entirely accurate. 
> 
> I hoped you enjoyed this chapter!

**Author's Note:**

> So how was it? Please leave a comment! Constructive criticism is appreciated!


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